Paul Kay

Brent Berlin

Explores the psychophysical and neurophysical determinants of cross-linguistic constraints on the shape of color lexicons.

Their Universality and Evolution

Basic Color Terms

Peter H. Raven

Dennis E. Breedlove

Principles of Tzeltal Plant Classification: An Introduction to the Botanical Ethnography of a Mayan-Speaking People of Highland Chiapas covers the underlying classificatory principles used by the Tzeltal to order the vast array of organisms of the plant world. The book describes the setting of the research, both from a botanical and ethnographic view; the general outline of Tzeltal plant classification and nomenclature; and the methods used to collect data. The text also discusses the rich ethnolinguistic terminology used by the Tzeltal in describing and discussing the structure of plants, referred to as ethnophytography; and the cultural significance of plants to the Tzeltal in agriculture, food types, house building, and other areas of material culture where plants and plant products are of major importance. The individual description of all known Tzeltal plant classes is also encompassed in detail. Botanists and ethnobotanists will find the book invaluable.

An Introduction to the Botanical Ethnography of a Mayan-Speaking, People of Highland, Chiapas

Principles of Tzeltal Plant Classification

un ensayo preliminar sobre las cincuenta especies botánicas de uso más frecunte

La herbolaria médica tzeltal-tzotzil en los altos de Chiapas

Elois Ann Berlin

Whereas most previous work on Maya healing has focused on ritual and symbolism, this book presents evidence that confirms the scientific foundations of traditional Maya medicine. Data drawn from analysis of the medical practices of two Mayan-speaking peoples, the Tzeltal and Tzotzil, reveal that they have developed a large number of herbal remedies based on a highly sophisticated understanding of the physiology and symptomatology of common diseases and on an in-depth knowledge of medicinal plants. Here Elois Ann Berlin and Brent Berlin, along with their many collaborators, provide detailed information on Maya disease classification, symptomatology, and treatment of the most significant health conditions affecting the Highland Maya, the gastrointestinal diseases. The authors base their work on broad-ranging comparative ethno-medical and ethnobotanical data collected over seven years of original field research. In describing the Mayas' understanding and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, Berlin and Berlin show that the plants used as remedies are condition specific.> Moreover, laboratory studies demonstrate that the most commonly agreed upon herbal remedies are potentially effective against the pathogenic agents underlying specific diseases and that they strongly affect the physiological processes associated with intestinal peristalsis. These findings suggest that the traditional Maya medical system is the result of long-term explicit empirical experimentation with the effects of herbal remedies on bodily function. Originally published in 1996. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

The Gastrointestinal Diseases

Medical Ethnobiology of the Highland Maya of Chiapas, Mexico

Brent Berlin

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